Bruises in Safety
by xCholericX
Summary: After four long years, Bella and Edward meet by chance in a book store. Emotional barriers are broken and Edward learns of a secret that's killing Bella quite literally. He realises that maybe he's not as dangerous for her as others can be. language.abuse
1. Chapter 1 edited

EDITED NOVEMBER 2nd 2009

Edward walked down the streets of Washington DC, on a particularly cloudy day, hands shoved in his pockets and scanning the thoughts of people near him without reason. A light drizzle was falling around him, causing his expensive suede jacket become spotted. Glancing towards a nearby commercial bookstore, Edward walked over, and entered. He had always liked novels, it passed the time quickly, and there were always new ones. After all, the classics got boring after the eighth or ninth time reading them. Scanning the bookshelves, Edward found himself in the music section. A loud, brightly colored book on contemporary music caught his eye so he grabbed it and sat down in an oversized armchair. He hummed under his breath as he opened the first page to the book.

A woman sat down across from him, and her scent made him flare his nostrils. The familiar sweet, inviting smell caused him to search for the woman's thoughts, though he couldn't find them. Only a few years had passed since he had left Bella, and he still remembered her 'brand' like he had been with her yesterday. Resisting the urge to look up, Edward continued to flip the pages of his book, slowly- not paying attention to the words any more. The woman moved slightly, Edward watched her movement from under his eyelashes; he didn't dare look up at her. From what he could see, the woman was wearing a pencil skirt with light tights shading her obviously pale skin. His heart wrenched, as he thought about Bella.

"_You know what I'm going to say." Edward looked at her with hard eyes. He wouldn't waver._

"_No." she said, equally as stubborn, she wasn't going to make this easy for him._

"_I'm leaving you." His eyes were black, not with hunger but with something else._

"_You promised you wouldn't." She crossed her arms and looked away to her right._

"_Promises can be broken. And I promised I would only stay if it were safe for you." Edward said, wanting Bella to look at him. He grabbed her chin and turned her head towards him. Her eyes were lined with tears. "Don't do anything stupid." _

_She stared into his eyes._

"_Why do you care what I do? You're leaving aren't you!" she said with spite. Edward wanted a clean break for Bella, this time he wouldn't give in and come back. He was leaving for good and now he had to step-up his act._

"_I wouldn't want Charlie to worry." He said almost nonchalantly._

"_So you care more about Charlie than me?" Bella screamed._

"_Yes!" They both stood in her room, breathing heavily. Slowly Edward formed the words with his mouth. "I don't give a damn about you anymore. You're suffocating me, and I need to breathe." Edward watched Bella argue with herself internally, weighing if what he had said were true. Other than his statement being wholly ironic, it was also one of the biggest lies he'd ever told. One more thing, one thing to make her hate him, and he'd be gone. "Besides, did you ever think you were even close to being good enough for me?"_

"_You don't mean that." She whispered uncertainly._

"_Come on, stop being so naïve. I never loved you, Bella. You were just a plaything to pass the time with." He was a monster, the worst sort of being- he was hurting her in he worst way possible. Bella looked at him through angry tears. _

"_Get out." _

_And he was gone. _

After what seemed like ages, the woman closed the book she was looking at and grabbed the purse next to her feet. Edward heard her heart beat increase and his enhanced ears heard the almost silent word that was uttered from the woman's mouth.

"Edward?" Edward looked up slowly, seeing Bella for the first time in four years. Her hair had grown reached down her back in long rich curls, and her body looked better than it had before. When he looked at her face though, he could have sworn that she was a vampire as well. Her skin was pale and her eyes were sunken with bags lining them. She was still beautiful, breathtakingly so, but something looked off.

"Bella." He croaked out. Seeing her was killing him, especially how he knew that he couldn't get her back. Bella's mouth hung slightly open, and her eyes were wide. The look of surprise was clearly on her face. She glanced over him, up and down.

"You're looking well." She said with little emotion, after a moment of collecting herself. She had learned years before that emotion was weak, and it only hurt her. Her pulse had quickened with excitement and longing, but she wouldn't let him know that. With slow words, Edward replied.

"You too, as always. How are things?" He made small talk as he was having an internal battle with himself. He'd almost started to get over her- not really, but his heart had started to heal slightly over the four years they'd been apart. Seeing her today simply reminded him that he would never stop loving her. He wanted to be with her, so badly that it physically hurt to be more than 2 feet away from her. He wanted to hold on and never let her go again. On the other hand, he would only put her in danger if he were any where close to her. He thought once again of his time with the human, and his dead heart ached. Her response was slow, as if she had to think about it.

"Well. And you?" her voice was so even and void of any recollection of their past, that it made Edward question whether she had ever felt the same as him. It was like she had forgoten, Edward had to remind himself that that's what he had wanted. His voice, in contrast, was wavered and rushed.

"Good." That was a lie, Edward's life had been lonely and bleak for the last four years, but he got by with the help of Alice. Against her judgment, Bella noticed the lack of talking and wanted the awkwardness to stop.

"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you." she put her book under her arm and turned to depart.

He couldn't just leave things like this. After four years apart, to just bump into her and go? The friendly thing would be to talk over a drink or something right?

"Bella…" he paused, " would you like to go get coffee with me? We could catch up." She looked shocked, and confused, but nodded.

"Now?" she asked in a business like manner, when Edward nodded she slung her purse around her shoulder and held up the book. "Let me just pay for this, and we can go." he followed her to the cashier and waited for her to purchase her item. Soon they walked out the door in silence and down the street to a nearby coffee shop.

They sat at a table in the far end of the small café, the aroma of tea leaves and freshly ground coffee beans filled the air. Edward took a deep breath, savoring the smell of the shop, mixed with the sweet smell of Bella. It was a delicious blend.

Bella sat across from Edward, looking into her steaming Chai tea trying to avoid the uncomfortable silence they had come to. Edward leaned back in his chair, trying to appear more relaxed- and in turn make Bella feel at ease. It didn't work. She remained straight backed, with her head down.

"So are you living here now?" she asked, without curiosity. Her eyes stayed where they were, and only her words made it to Edward.

He shook his head.

"No, I'm just staying for a while, thought I'd come back to the States as a quick trip." She quirked her brow, inviting him to continue. He didn't.

"And where were you before?"

"England for the most part, Telford, Coventry, Wolverhampton… I stayed mostly to the west-midlands. And before that I travelled around Russia I think."

She looked up, "You think?"

"I was distracted and didn't get out to see the sights much. I really only went for Jasper. He's always wanted to go to Russia."

"And the others?" She didn't need to say their name, Edward knew who she was talking about.

"Alice decided to take cooking courses in Paris, so her and Jasper are there now. Esme and Carlisle are in Brazil, while it's still the rainy season. And Rosalie and Emmet on another one of their honeymoons somewhere in Egypt, How they're getting around unnoticed is beyond me." he smiled, simply happy to be chatting with her. "And you? What have you been doing?" when she replied, her face still remained emotionless.

"Not much, I've got my degree for urban studies and I'm working with a small company downtown." She stared down in her drink. A man walked past the table they were sitting at and brushed her shoulder, the sudden contact startling her- causing her to hit her spoon to the floor. Edward reached down under the table and grabbed it, moving at a human pace. He slowed down though, when he saw her legs. The skirt she was wearing had a small slit on the side and had risen up when she sat down. It wasn't the attractiveness of her body that made him slow however, but it was what was under the slit that had surprised him. A dark, blue and purple bruise had formed there, it appeared painful. He sat up straight.

"The bruise on your leg looks like it hurts, how'd it happen?" It was an innocent question; he'd wanted to show friendly concern for her.

" I fell." was her answer. Simple, short and perfectly plausible. Edward smiled, so even after these years she was still the same old clumsy Bella. They had a pleasant conversation for another hour or so, passing over several subjects, none of which would bring up memories. Bella's phone rang, pleasant music filling the air; a classical piece. She answered it.

"Hello?" He looked away from Edward. "Yes, I know- I'm sorry. I'm having coffee with a friend. Did you want me to pick up something on the way? Okay. See you soon." she flipped her phone down and put it in her purse. She stood up with Edward.

"I've got to be getting home," she said with a little more kindness in her voice than before, "It was nice to see you again." she stuck out her hand, waiting for him to shake it. Edward glanced at the outstretched arm, and rushed in to hug her tightly. Four years without her had caused a burning sensation within himself. He just needed to be close to her, just had to be next to her.

The embrace she received from Edward was unexpected, but not unwelcome. She hugged back- but uneasily, resting her head against his jacket. As odd as it sounded, she missed hugging a marble statue.

Edward wanted to hang on to her longer.

"Would you like a ride?" he asked, desperately hoping she would say yes. She looked taken aback, and then she smiled warmly, but with sad eyes.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." She walked out through the maze of tables in the coffee shop to the entrance with Edward following. They looked out the window at the grim weather. The light drizzling had turned into a dark rain, which was blowing at a rather horizontal angle.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like a ride?" Edward smirked at her, she smiled back.

"Alright."

The two of them walked bravely out into the storm and down half a block to a sleek black car. Edward opened the passenger door for her, as he used too, and went around to the driver's side. By the time they were both in the car, they were soaking wet. Bella looked at him with amusement. She laughed at him, snickering childishly. Edward smiled, not knowing what she was so entertained with. He lifted his eyebrow in a questioning way.

"You look ridiculous." She said through giggles. Edward flipped down the visor and looked in the mirror; he did look funny. The rain had made half of his normally perfect hair stand up and to the side, while the rest of it stuck to his forehead; he resembled a drowned cat. He chuckled to himself, and then looked at Bella. Unlike him, she looked godly, the rain highlighting her features. Her hair hung over her shoulders, and across her face. Her eyes were alight and twinkling, mouth opened in a wide smile. The thin spring shirt she was wearing clung to her body, and Edward noticed with alarm that she was actually much skinnier than he thought, almost unhealthily so. As he continued to inspect her, he noticed that she looked like one of his kind. Other than her startling beauty, the rain had made her face and skin even paler than before, and the purple bruises under her eyes were prominent, as if she hadn't gotten sleep in days. He stopped laughing, she wasn't healthy, and this was the first time he'd seen her show any sort of emotion since they'd met in the bookstore. She seemed somewhat damaged, and Edward hoped to God that it wasn't because of him.

Read and review. Not many changes were made in this chapter, but major changes and new chapters will be added in the upcoming edits.  
Hope you enjoy it  I've changed certain things specifically so that Edward and Bellas relationship progresses more slowly also I'm planning to have Derek stick around a little longer.  
love Jen.


	2. Chapter 2 edited

Revised January 3, 2010

Happy new years guys!

Bella noticed that Edward had stopped laughing, so she stopped as well, blushing from the embarrassment. For a second it had been like things used to be, but then she remembered where she was, and what he had done. Edward pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the road. An awkward silence came over them, and the only sound in the car was the windshield wipers that went back and forth. Edward broke the silence first.

"So, where am I taking you?" Bella looked at him, barriers up again, and replied with her address. Not enjoying the cold woman that sat beside him, he proceeded to talk.

"Are you living with a roommate, or someone?" he hoped to God that she wasn't living with another man.

"I'm with my boyfriend." She said shortly, Edwards heart clenched. Although he really should have expected it, she _was_ a beautiful woman, and men would be crazy not to want her. She had moved on, and that's what he'd wanted, right? "His name is Derek."

"Oh that's nice, how long have you two been together?" Edward asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"A little over two years now. We met shortly after I moved here actually." Two years? He felt somewhat distressed by that. It'd taken him a full three years to stop thinking about her more than once a day- and that alone had taken a lot of effort.

"And you?" she asked. "Found anyone good enough yet?" She meant to say that without spite, however it came out somewhat venomously. Edwards' hands squeezed the steering wheel hard; he had no idea how to respond to that.

"Bella. I--"

"I'm sorry, that was rude." There was a silence, as Edward focused on the road, and Bella looked out of the window, watching the rain race across the glass in front of her.

"I'm not with anyone now." He said after a while of silence, Bella's response was minimal- a tiny "oh." And that was all.

They drove into a residential area and she noticed that they were nearing her apartment. The black car pulled up in front of the house and he shut off the engine.

"Well, this is it, right?" Edward asked awkwardly. Bella nodded.

"Thanks for the lift home." She grabbed the handle on the door. "It was… nice catching up. Say hi to everyone for me; good-bye Edward." She pulled the door open and ran to the awning in front of her buildings door. She turned and waved at him once she was in the dry over hang. He looked back at her, through the pouring rain and waved politely back. Edward stayed parked there, watching her leave, and eventually he was simply staring at the spot she stood before. It was hard to imagine it could hurt this badly, to see her again, and then to see her leave. He drove off towards the hotel he was staying at, trying to focus on anything but her. It was pointless, she was like the sun, warming the dark corners of his mind until everything was glowing with thoughts of her.

Bella walked into her house with a small smile on her face, which was quickly wiped away when she entered the living room. Derek was sitting on the couch a beer bottle in hand, hand flipping through channels on the TV. Bella walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hello." She said softly, hoping he would be in a good mood.

"It's about time you showed up." He said sourly. His angered expression didn't match his appearance. He was the kind of man that all of the girls went for, the suave, happy-go-lucky type of guy who was always smiling… in the public eye. At home, he was quite the opposite.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She said meekly, "I'll go start dinner." She walked away, but was pulled back by Derek's arm around hers.

"Don't bother, I already ate." He tugged on her arm, making her sit down next to him. "So where were you today?" he said casually, keeping his hand clenched on Bella's arm.

"I ran into an old friend, from Forks, at the book store today- we had coffee afterwards. I'm sorry I'm late, we lost track of time." was all she could manage to say. He slapped her across the face with the back of his hand.

"Don't lie to me. You don't have any friends to _have_ coffee with."

"We went to high school together; I haven't seen him for years." She said looking towards the floor. He laughed cruelly, and sat his beer on the table.

"So you fucked him then." Bella shook her head, quickly.

"No!" she protested, "of course I didn't. I only want you." he advanced on her, straddling her waist.

"Isn't that sweet. But it still doesn't change the fact that because you were gallivanting with your fuck-buddy, I came home to an empty house, starving, without any food in the fridge even. I worked all day, trying to provide for us. All that I ask, is that there's a warm meal when I come home, and you can't even manage that." He spat, his breathe coated with the smell of alcohol. He hit her again, this time harder. "Are you good for anything at all?"he said with malice. He got off and pushed her from the couch to the floor. Derek stood up and swayed over her, kicking the woman on the floor until she crumpled.

"No one would want you. You're a disgusting piece of shit. You're lucky that I stick around." He spat on her, and walked drunkenly out of the room, slamming the door. She stayed on the floor crying. And realized, like she always did, that he was right, and she was wrong.

No one wanted her, and for the first time in four years, that piece of knowledge hurt her more than the bruises and broken bones.

…

..

.

A/N  
Alrighty, so here's the edited and updated version. Yes, Bella's still out of character, but that's the fun of a fanfic isn't it.  
anyway Edward and Bella's relationship is now progressing MUCH slower, and I think that's definitely going to improve the story line. However I've lost any skill at writing, so the plot might be there, but the verbal eloquence won't be.

Oh well

From here on in, the chapters proceeding the updated chapters won't make sense. Just fyi.

Thanks guys :)

Feedback is always appreciated.  
xx


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: sorry this is such a short chapter! But I thought it would be a good place to stop. I promise I'll update another chapter soon!

I'd just like to thank leechlover192 for the suggestion of the song "Stop and Stare" by One Republic. Which I listened to while writing this chapter.

Also in this chapter I kinda just ditched grammar.

Me: pce out grammar, I don't need you! Or your writing skills!

Also thanks Argetlamgirl for the first review!

Hope you're all not too disappointed in this chapter.

Sometime during the night Bella had woken up on the floor, recalling the evenings previous events. Slowly, and painfully she sat up and looked around at the empty living room. Ironic, she thought, that she be beaten in such a place. The glow of the moon peaked through the curtains in the front window, casting an eerie light the walls. The darkness made her shiver, and feel colder than usual. Bella stood and walked to her bedroom, creaking the door open slowly. She tried to make as little noise as possible, as she crawled under the covers. Derek was never a heavy sleeper, so the slight movement she made had woken him up. He turned over and pulled her close to him.

"Hey baby," he said groggily. Bella winced, as the arms around her were pushing on her new bruises. Glancing at the clock, she assumed that the alcohol had worn off by now.

"Hey," she whispered quietly. Derek groaned with sleepiness and collapsed into her, causing a gasp of pain to escape Bella's mouth.

"You know I don't want to hurt you. I just love you so much that I don't want any one else to have you." He said, Bella didn't even notice that he never apologized.

"I know; I deserved it anyway." Bella murmured, he nodded agreement and fell asleep. She followed into a dreamless state soon after.

Edward sat up, reading the book that Bella had bought earlier. She had forgotten it in his car; the perfect reason for him to call her. He flipped through the pages with excitement, as he thought of the possibility of seeing Bella at least once more. He knew he shouldn't ever meet with her again, especially when her blood called for him. But the hunger for her presence was much stronger. As long as they were just friends it would be okay right? He wouldn't have to worry about going too far with her, the most they'd come into contact would be a hug.

He'd always want more though. He'd want to have her forever, and this time Edward wasn't sure if he'd be able to leave. And as he played over the reasons in his head, he realized that this was the first time he'd been happy, in the last four years.

"I'm still dangerous." He concluded to himself, "and I'm selfish." He flipped over the phone number in his hands and smirked.

He'd call her the following morning.

A/N: review? Please? Kthnx


	4. Chapter 4

-1Edward flipped the hotel phone in his hands, waiting for a reasonable time to call her. He decided that eight-thirty would be good, as he wanted to catch her before she went to work. The clock on his bed side table flickered and read 7:26. Needing something to distract himself, Edward settled on taking a shower to pass the time; after-all he had to look impeccable if he was to see Bella again.

The boiling hot water snaked over his body and he leaned against the wall closing his eyes and thinking about the brown-haired woman. Unconsciously Edward wanted to impress Bella, to make her want to come back to him. To leave her boyfriend. He had the urge to be better than the man she was living with, he wanted intimidate him. Edward felt the same as when James threatened Bella. He was frightened that he might lose her, and he also had felt the need to coerce him, make him back down.

It was a silly thing really, that he should think he deserved her, after leaving twice. He knew that she was much too good for him, but that didn't stop him from loving her. Edward pictured her in his mind, breathtakingly beautiful; and as he mentally pictured her the bruise on her leg nagged at him. Something wasn't right about it, the way she had acted after he'd asked about it was strange.

The shower had long since ran out of hot water so Edward had assumed that a lengthy period of time had passed. Stepping onto the bathmat, he wrapped a hotel towel around his waist and left the bathroom. Making a bee-line to the phone, the clock now read 8:26; he dialed the seven digits and held it to his ear. Two rings were heard then the phone was answered by a distinctly male voice. With an unpleasant hello, the man waited for a response. Suavely Edward replied.

"May I speak with Bella." There was no please inserted in the sentence, and there was no question mark placed at the end. There was a short pause, then the man spoke.

"you've got the wrong number." the line went dead, and Edward hung up slightly confused. He was sure that he had called the right number. He lifted the phone and carefully dialed again. This time it only rang once.

Bella turned over and snuggled into the pillows, happy to be in the warm covers. A shift on the bed told her that Derrek was also awake and was now getting ready. The pleasant tone of her mobile could be heard from the kitchen. Without lifting her head, she knew that Derrek was walking towards it, to answer the caller. Although muffled by the pillow, she heard him tell the caller that he or she had the wrong number.

Slowly sitting up and stretching, Bella yawned when Derrek entered the room again, still in his boxers. She smiled at him, the events of last night far away from her thoughts. That was how it worked, anyway. The morning after, she would forget about anything that happened, reasoning that she had deserved it, and then they would act like a normal, happy couple. He grinned at her, walking over to her side of the bed. He sat down near the edge.

"morning," she leaned into him, as he enveloped his arms around her.

"morning." he kissed the top of her head. And as the sunlight washed over them, Bella seemed happy. Music wafted through the room, her cell phone was ringing again.

Derrek got up to answer it, but she pulled him down.

"That's alright, I'll get it." she got up and crawled across the bed to the end, "Besides, you have to get ready for work." she smiled once more before exiting to the kitchen. With a pleasant hello, she answered the phone.

a/n

Another filler chapter, sorry guys. But I wanted to post something, and this was pretty much all I came up with. Hope it satisfies you until my next posting. Don't worry, Edward and Bella will meet in the next chapter.

Wanna know the strange thing? I actually don't hate Derrek.

Wow, I'm a terrible person lol.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the small amount that I've posted. And it DEFINETLY gets _much_ better in the next couple chapters. Muhhahahahha.

And what will happen when Edward meets Derrek for the first time?

Don't forget….. Edward can hear his thoughts.

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!

K peace.

Oh right, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**AND NOW! the moment you've all been waiting for... A LONGER CHAPTER! and a new one at that!  
fancy. i was quite pleased with the ending of this one. anywhoo enjoy! and please please PLEASE review? **

"Bella?"

"Hey," She didn't need to ask who was calling to know it was Edward. No other being could have a voice quite like his. " How are you?" she asked calmly, keeping her excitement hidden.

"Well, and you?" the smooth words came out of the ear piece, making her knee's go weak. She had forgotten how much she missed that sound.

"I'm good." Derek walked into the kitchen and stood in the doorway from their room. His eyes traveled from her feet, up her legs to her bare torso. The boy shorts and bra left much of her skin exposed; bruises could be seen all over. Some old and many new, the blue and purple that spotted her stomach, back, arms and legs were noticeably painful, but she didn't show it. Derek smirked.

"What are you up to today?" Edward asked, hoping desperately she would say she wasn't busy.

"I've got work, and then dinner arrangements." she stated. Truly she did have to go into the office, and Derek and her always had dinner at 'Fredricks' every Thursday night. Derek looked at her from across the room with a raised eyebrow, wondering who could be asking his girlfriend what her plans were. He mouthed 'who is that?', he had no reason to be upset if it was a woman. She silently replied, 'no one', hoping that Derek would just ignore it. He was instead reminded of the earlier phone call, and also of last night. If this was the same man, he would be angry, and she would pay.

Quickly he grabbed the phone from her and held it against his ear, much to the protest of Bella. Edward heard this and questioned it.

"Hello?" he asked, slightly surprised by the answer of a male voice; the same one from before.

"Who are you?" Derek asked gruffly, definitely displeased by the gender of the caller.

"Edward, a friend of Bella's." He paused, "May I speak with her?" Derek looked at Bella, whose face was contorted slightly with concern and perhaps even… fear? He smirked at her, this would be interesting.

"Ah yes, Edward. Bella's told me _so_ much about you." he grinned menacingly at her. If she was going to cheat on him, then he would just have to do something about that. Beating her wouldn't do much. But humiliating her would.

"She has?" Edward was genuinely surprised by that. After all, it had seemed like Bella had hated him the day before.

"Yes, and we'd like to invite you over for dinner. Tonight if possible?" He tried to sound as pleasant as possible. Again Edward was startled, and quickly agreed to this. Bella's eyes widened when she heard this proposal.

"NO!" she screamed without thinking, "t-that's not a good idea." Derek simply smiled wider, pleased by the look of fear in her eyes.

"Oh I think it would be a very good idea, Bella dear." he said with mock sincerity. He then turned his attention to the phone. "So seven o'clock? Perfect." he pressed the end button and placed the phone in his own pocket.

"Can I have it back, please?" she held her hand out, waiting for Derek to place it in her outstretched palm. He shook his head.

"I can't have you calling back to cancel tonight's plans, now can I?" his grin quickly turned to a snarl as he hit her across the face with his hand.

"get dressed and go to work." he walked back to their room to put clothes on, soon storming out of their apartment.

Bella slid down the wall nearest the door and sat, cradling her face. She panicked, her breath coming in short rapid gasps. She was in serious trouble. Not only was she lacking her phone to dial 69, but she had no idea where Edward was staying. She stood up and went to the bathroom to apply the heavy coat of make-up she would need to cover up her bruises.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello, I'd like to connect to Edward Cullen." Bella said to the receptionist at the Hilton, this was the tenth hotel she'd called.

"I'm sorry, but there's no Cullen currently registered, perhaps he's already checked out." the polite woman responded.

"Thank you." hanging up her office phone, she ran her finger along the page in the phonebook. There were thirteen more hotels, seventeen motels, twenty seven bed and breakfasts, and twelve inn's. This seemed impossible. Going down the list, the downtown Hyatt was next, so she dialed carefully.

"Hyatt Regency Washington, on Capitol Hill, how may I help you?" a young man answered on the first ring.

"Yes hello, I'd like to connect to Edward Cullen." she crossed her fingers, hoping that she wouldn't have to waste another hour in order to find him.

"One moment please." there was a connection sound, and then ringing, and more ringing… and then the line was silent, a click followed.

"I'm sorry, it seems that Mister Cullen isn't in his room at the moment, may I take a message?" the receptionist asked in a professional tone.

"Yes, can you tell him that Bella Swan phoned and that he needs to call me back at this number," she gave him the number, making sure that it was written down properly. "It's an emergency." she added.

"I'll pass this along, good day ma'am." the man hung up, and she did the same. Bella sat at her desk, hands placed palm down on the wood table. Staring at the clock she waited, and waited…and waited. Edward seemed to be taking his time getting back to the hotel room.

Why didn't she get his cell number?

The minutes turned into hours as she willed Edward to call her. 4:28 pm. She hadn't left her desk for lunch, instead she stayed firmly planted in her small corner office. Panic was building up inside her as the time got closer to five o'clock, when she got off work. Swallowing hard, she choked back tears. She didn't want anyone to know about her secret. It was shameful and embarrassing. Bella didn't want Edward to be anywhere near her boyfriend, for fear of discovery.

"Stupid vampires and their stupid powers." She muttered under her breath.

"Careful, someone might think you've lost you're mind, talking about vampires and whatnot." Bella whipped her hear around, to see a pale man leaning casually against the doorframe. She had been in turmoil all day, and he walks in here without a care in the world, she hated him and his smugness.

"Edward!" her voice was furious and tormented, angry and hurt; there were tear trails running down her cheeks.

"Bella?" his cool, collect demeanor quickly became worried at the sight of her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he rushed towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She stared anywhere but at him.

"I'm fine, and why did you come here. Why didn't you just call me?" Bella shook her head with frustration.

"You said it was an emergency," Edward stated. When he had received the message from the receptionist at the hotel, he had 'freaked'. The thought of Bella in any sort of danger made his dead heart race faster with agonizing concern. Images and possible situations rushed through his mind, making him fret even more.

"I need to talk to you about tonight." She said, her emotional barriers up fast, now that she knew he was here. Edward nodded for her to continue.

"I don't want you coming over." Bella stated plainly, firmly.

"Why not?" She hadn't thought of an answer to that. She couldn't just tell him that if he met Derek, Edward would find out about the abusive relationship she was in. _That_ would go over well.

"Because, I don't think it'd be good for you," she looked at the ground. "for us."

"And what do you mean by that?" when she had said 'us' he got excited.

"You said you didn't mean any of the things you said to me, four years ago right?" he nodded, "So then do you still have feelings for me?" Edward shifted uncomfortably, if he admitted to those feelings, their friendship might not work out and he'd never see her again. However, confessing could lead to something more. He nodded again, slowly. Bella eyed him, obviously not trusting his words, but continued to talk.

"Then, when you meet Derek, you'll probably listen to everything he's thinking, right?" Edward smirked, wondering where this was going.

"Do you really want to hear _every_ thing, every single detail about me and another man?" She was being unreasonably rude, but it was necessary. His face fell; he didn't want that. He was filled with jealousy, just thinking about his love being with another.

"Bella," he paused and thought over what he was going to say. "You don't have to worry about me, I won't pry. I promise." She mentally slapped herself.

"No, just don't come. Edward, I don't want you to ever meet Derek." Bella said, staring straight at him; she seemed weak now, frailer. She was tired, and her appearance reflected that clearly. Edward was unconvinced, why did she want to him to avoid 'Derek' so badly. What was she hiding?

"Bella…" he eyed her, trying to figure out the truth. His eyes searched hers and they glared at each other tensely.

A loud ring interrupted their silence, Bella ignored it. Edward noticed this and reached over her to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" he greeted suavely, his eyes staying locked on Bella. The voice on the other line said a few words and hung up, Edward followed suit.

"It seems you're boyfriend came to pick you up from work. Let's go say hello, shall we?" He meant to say it in a pleasant manner, but his anger and jealousy caused it to come out almost menacingly. Bella's eyes went wide, her forehead creasing with worry. Shaking, her hands reached out for her things, throwing them carelessly into her purse.

"Promise me you won't listen to his thoughts. Ignore them." She said, focusing on gathering the papers she needed.

"Why would I –"

"_Promise me!_" she yelled, turning her head to glare at him. He glared back.

"No." he replied with a hard edge. There had to be a reason, a _real_ reason why she didn't want him mind-reading her boyfriend.

Derek walked in the room, surprised by the other male. His mind was open, and just begging to be read. Edward gave a hard stare at Bella, and then turned his full attention to Derek. He would find out _everything_,

A/N oooooh! Oh man! I can't wait to write the next chapter. Sorry this one sucks, i wrote different parts of it, on random days so the goodness level will fluctuate.

So whaddya think?

Edward finds out about the abuse in the next chapter! Oh man. OOOH!

Yeah, so if you didn't figure it out, that's the reason why Bella's so scared. Because she's more ashamed of the abuse, and she doesn't want anyone to know about it. Also she's subconsciously afraid for dereks wellbeing. Seeing as Edward's probly gonna Fck him up.

Anyway,

I'm out. Pce.

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Feel free to critique me!


	6. Chapter 6

_Is this the guy she's been fucking behind my back? Why the hell would he want a piece of shit like her? He looks like he could get anyone he wants. What a whore, probably trying to fuck him right here in her office. _

"Edward, I presume?" Derek walked forward, eyes angry, arm outstretched.

"Derek. Nice to meet you." Edward shook the man's hand, firmly. The tension between them was tangible. The two men stood there watching one another. Wondering who would make the first move. Edward had heard Derek's thoughts and didn't approve at all. Bella didn't deserve to be thought of like that.

_Ooh, trying to intimidate me, pretty boy? _Derek squeezed Edwards hand harder. For an average man this would be painful. Edward didn't feel it.

_His hand's like stone. _ The woman in the room started to tremble, hoping desperately that Derek wasn't thinking anything that would give her away.

"Edward. You need to leave." Bella interjected, walking over to stand by Derek. "Now." She stood in a defensive position. Her boyfriend looked at her.

_Yeah he _better_ leave, 'cause I'm gonna fuck you up so bad when we get home._

Edward's face scrunched with anger, _what_ did he just think? He listened harder, wondering if he'd misheard. Bella noticed this change in appearance and emotion. He needed to go away.

"Edward, get the hell out of here." She yelled, hoping to distract the man from the thoughts of her boyfriend. Slightly taken aback by Bella's outburst, Edward temporarily abandoned Derek's mind. She grabbed his arm and tried in a futile attempt to drag him out of her office.

_The fuck! touching him in front of me? Well she's just giving herself away now. She's going to get her ass kicked as soon as he leaves. Those bruises from yesterday are gonna hurt a helluva lot more tonight._

Edward froze, and stared wide-eyed at Derek. He glared back at him.

"What?" Derek said with attitude.

The vampire remembered the bruise on Bella's leg from before. Did her boyfriend do that? Was this 'Derek' abusing his Bella?

Furious madness washed over Edward, and he saw red. His normally honey brown iris's turned black. He growled at Derek and bared his teeth. Bella stood still, fear growing. She had noticed a slight elongation of his canines. Edward wasn't hungry, but he was on defense now and the anger fueled a certain type of blood lust.

Derek stood and laughed.

"What's your problem?" he chuckled a little more, not afraid of a fight. He had more muscles than the man before him. In a brawl, he could easily win.

"Edward, don't." Bella tried to say firmly, but her voice wavered and stumbled.

"What's the matter Bell's, if he wants to fight, let him. I doubt it would be much of a challenge." Derek laughed loudly. Real terror was in her eyes. She was afraid, wholly and completely afraid.

_Whatever, if he lays a hand on me, she'll just pay for it later. _

Edward (needs a spatula cause he's gonna flip shit, lawls!) pulled his arm back and punched the brunette man with more than human strength. He wouldn't get a chance to hurt Bella ever again. Grabbing the woman and hoisting her into his arms with little effort, he made sure that Derek was out before stepping over him and into the hall. Bella screamed and yelled, hitting Edward with all her might. Her co-workers stared at the man, mostly with fear. Arnie, an apprentice, ran over and blocked the hallway. His pimples and wiry frame were anything but intimidating.

"Put Miss Swan down." His cracking voice shook, much like his knees. The man carrying his fellow employee looked ready to kill.

"Move Arnie." Edward said through clenched teeth. His anger was doing anything but dying down. He had to control it for the safety of those around him, and especially for the woman in his arms.

"H-how do you know my name? and w-what are you doing with her?!" Bella continued to struggle and yell.

"I just do, okay?" he was infuriated; he wanted to get Bella away from that bastard as soon as possible.

"Put Miss Swan down!" the boy said once more, this time with more confidence.

"Look," Edward said angrily. "I don't want any trouble, I'm her brother. She ran away from home sometime ago and I'm taking her back." An older woman, in her mid forties stood up and walked over.

"What's your fathers name?" her voice was calm, collect.

"I really don't have time for this." He looked back quickly, to make sure that Derek was still down. The woman stared him down. He would have to answer her questions. He didn't want someone to report him to the police as a kidnapper. Bella's screams didn't help the situation, who was currently trying to hit Edward. He just adjusted his hold so that she couldn't move, his stone arms unknowingly pressing down on her bruises. A loud gasp of pain notified him of this and concern mixed with his rage. He loosened his hold.

"Bella, please quiet down, you're causing a scene." He said with an attempt at a composed demeanor, he just wanted to leave the building and take her as far away as possible.

"What is your father's name?" Edward sighed, fine he would play along.

"Charlie."

"Bella doesn't have a brother, explain that."

"I'm Phil's son. Technically she's my step-sister." He was a darn good liar. The woman looked surprised, and obviously knew who Phil was. She believed him.

"If she doesn't come back, I'm calling the authorities." She said over Bella's shouting. "Arnie, sit down." They cleared the hallway and let Edward carry the loud woman out.

He opened his car door and shoved Bella in the passengers seat, walking around and sitting in the drivers. Locking the doors, he peeled out of the parking lot and out onto the freeway. She had now quieted down and was now silently protesting by keeping her eyes away from him. She was ashamed.

"Bella…" He looked over at her; she had lifted her legs up and hugged her knees. "Why didn't you tell me?" his voice was soft now, the only emotion he had was concern.

"_Why_ would I tell you?" she said, unsure of how to act now. She continued to stare out the window at passing traffic.

"Did he…did he abuse you?" Edward bit out the words, anger flaring up again. He wanted that piece of shit to die.

"It wasn't his fault. I deserved it." She mumbled into her legs. He clenched the steering wheel with full force, holding back his infuriation. The steel beneath the rubber was molded to the shape of his hands.

"There is _nothing_ you could have done…that would deserve…that." his words shook, and he had to try incredibly hard to not scream the words out. He heard Bella scoff; she was getting fed up with his 'act' of caring for her.

"Whatever Edward, don't pretend to be concerned about me now, I know I'm not worth it. And besides, even though I didn't come close to being good enough for him, at least he didn't leave me." Her barriers came crashing down again. "There's going to be hell to pay when I go back." She mumbled.

"Bella, you can't seriously want to go back to that—that…" Edward couldn't think a word to convey his hatred and disgust for the man.

"Then what am I supposed to do, Hmm?" she said in a condescending tone. She glared at him, finally meeting his eyes with an accusing look.

"Stay away from him!" he roared, eyes turning brilliant red. For the moment Bella felt fear once again, until she realized that it didn't matter, it wasn't as if she was of value anyway. To be in a speeding car with an angry vampire was dangerous, and oddly enough she didn't care. Edward took deep, pointless breaths in an attempt to calm down.

The car slowed down and pulled in front of a large hotel. The Valet opened the door for Bella, awkwardly waiting for the unmoving woman to step out. She crossed her arms and sat still. Edward glared at her, then got out slamming his door forcefully. Reaching her side of the car with speed he pulled her seatbelt off and tore her out of the vehicle. Throwing the valet his keys he carried Bella inside the hotel and into the stairwell. He could run the stairs in less time than the elevator would take. He threw her over his shoulder and lunged at the steps, reaching the 13th floor in seconds. He came to his room, swiftly punching his room key into the electronic reader. Edward dropped Bella on his bed and stood on the other side of the room.

"I don't want to go through this again." She said, slowly sitting up. The bruises on her stomach hurt, so it was painful to move. Edward felt relieved by her words, she admitted she didn't want to go back to Derek; she didn't want to go through the abuse again. His eyes lightened and his shoulders relaxed.

"Oh, Bella—" Edward smiled and walked towards her.

"No." she said with a harsh edge, realizing that he'd misunderstood. "I don't want to go through _this _again." She motioned to herself and Edward. His face fell and he stopped moving forward. The crisp, impeccably clean room felt cold, similar to the silence. Neither of them moved.

"What do you mean." Edward asked, confused. Bella sighed, closing her eyes and opening them some time after.

"I don't want to be around you, I don't want to have any sort of relationship with you, even if its friends, I don't ever want to see you again. Do you understand that Edward? I know your trying to play hero and help out a poor abused girl. But stop making me feel more pathetic than I already am. It'd be best if you'd just leave me alone." She stared at him with cold eyes. Inside she was hating herself for saying that. Truthfully she'd wanted to run into his arms and be with him like in the past, but she didn't want to be a burden to him. He was too good and he didn't deserve filth like her.

"Don't say that. I didn't want you to feel that way…I…I just wanted to help. To get you away from that man." Edward looked pleading now, he'd had no idea that that was how she was feeling, and now he felt terrible.

"Well if anything you made things worse." She kept her cold stare focused on him.

"You don't have to go back." He returned her look and before he thought of what he was saying, the usually calm Edward blurted something out. "You could stay with me!" Bella sighed again.

"We both know you don't want me Edward. I'm just damaged baggage. And _nobody_ wants that."

_That's right, nobody wants me._

OH MAN! FINALLY! I've had this chapter for like a year! Well… more like when I posted chapter five but I FINALLY finished it! Gawrsh!

Anywhoo, what'd ya think? I dunno if I like it yet or not… but I can pretend.  
review? I FINALLY BROKE 100 REVIEWS!!!!!! WOOO! Seven more and I'll beat my all time record haha.

I didn't know when to end the chapter so I kinda just ended it here. There should be an update fairly soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Oh goodness

Oh goodness! I've taken soooo long to update this chapter, I guess I just wasn't very happy with it. (hence the poor ending to said chapter) so sorry to those who asked for me to update faster! I'll try harder for the next chapter! lol I hope you don't hate me too much for this chapter, and its shortness, but I'm pretty much just stalling until the good part (or until I can think of one.)

"We both know you don't want me Edward. I'm just damaged baggage. And _nobody_ wants that." Bella said looking aggravated. She couldn't go through this again, her emotions wouldn't be able to handle it. Edward walked over to her slowly, kneeling down so that they were eye to eye.

"I wasn't lying before when I said I have feelings for you." He hated seeing her so weak.

There was a long pause, and when she finally met his eyes, they were lined with angry tears.

"Fuck off Edward." She stood up and stormed over to the door. Quickly, Edward was up and in front of her, blocking the exit.

"Tell me what you're thinking. I want to know so I can help you." He was frustrated with being unable to read her mind. He felt lost in this argument, he felt like a normal man for once. She glared at him angrily.

"You wanna know what I'm thinking? You really want to know?" she waited for an answer. He nodded vigorously.

"I'm thinking that I don't want you to say you want me, then leave as soon as I finally believe it. I'm thinking that I'm not even good enough to be dirt on your shoes because I'm a piece of shit who doesn't deserve anything. I'm just ugly, good for nothing trash. I can't please anyone no matter how hard I try. I couldn't please you or Derek; and the only thing I ever received from either of those relation ships was pain. And that's the _only_ thing I've ever warranted. _That_, is what is going through my mind. Now can you please let me leave?" Edward stared at her for a few moments before collapsing onto her in a hug. He couldn't believe that _that_ was how she felt; was it all because of him? She wasn't like that before he had left four years ago… it was his fault?

Bella breathed in and out slowly, placing her emotional barriers back up, and re-enforcing them; she was tired and needed to calm down.

"Are you going to let me go home tonight?" she said in a monotonous voice. Edward still hung on her; she didn't return the embrace. He shook his head above her shoulder.

"Then I'm going for a shower." Hopefully it would help her relax, and give Edward some time to realize that he didn't really like her, even in the slightest. Hopefully he would realize that he was simply being cruel by playing with her emotions. And hopefully he would leave her alone.

Slowly, Edward let Bella go, making sure that she was heading towards the bathroom and not to book it out the door. He knew that they both needed to clear their heads.

Bella locked the door securely then stripped her clothing. She stepped into the luxurious shower and turned the water on as hot as it would go. Letting the steam enter her lungs she stepped into the waterfall of near boiling liquid.

The droplets slid over her face and body along with her tears. There was a certain release in not knowing which was which, she always let herself cry in the shower, when she needed to.

Bella looked down at her self, disgusted with the state of her body. Maybe if she was skinnier, or prettier Derek would have loved her; Maybe Edward never would have left her. She pressed her thumb into a newly formed bruise, wincing in pain. She deserved the hurt.

Edward watched Bella walk into the bathroom and heard the lock click into place.

Thinking over their last goodbyes four years ago, Edward winced as he remembered what he'd said to Bella. Telling her she was worthless, telling her that he didn't care.

If only she'd known that he was madly in love with her. He was a fool, a monster. Instead of protecting her (like he'd planned) he'd slowly been killing her from the inside and out.

Edward sat down roughly on the sofa, throwing his head into his hands. Running his fingers through his copper tinged hair. Reality hit him hard.

It was really his fault wasn't it? One hundred percent his fault, and he hadn't even apologized yet. Standing up quickly, Edward bolted to the bathroom and burst in, completely disregarding Bella's privacy. She stood on a mat outside the shower, her dripping body draped in a small terry-cloth hotel towel.

And now, to try to keep you anticipating whats to come!

"_there was a hard knock at the hotel room door, slowly Edward walked over and turned the handle. Stepping back, anger flashed through his eyes and he took a defensive position. Bella came around the corner asking who it was. When she saw him, she gasped almost falling over in surprise. A single voice ran through the stiff air of the room._

"_Bella, run." _

OMG who's at the door?! Review with your answer and I'll chortle at how wrong you are! Lol haha jk.

But for reals, please review! It makes me feel better and gives me some sorta motivation to keep writing.


	8. Chapter 8

It was really his fault wasn't it

Oh wow guys. I'm a total satchel of free prostitution (aka ho-bag!) I totally promised to update soon and I didn't. its been like five months or something. My last chapter was posted in 2007! GAH! That's unacceptable! Anywhoo, YOU FIND OUT WHO'S AT THE DOOR!!

I'm pretty sure only two people guessed right so a shout out goes to those who got it right!

Anywhooo! Finally done another chapter. I haven't read over it, and kinda just did a type and post, so chances are, I'll edit it later to make it not sound like crap.

ALSO! Perhaps a special bonus chapter for those who know where the first line of this chapter is from! Anywhoo! Enjoy! Review! And this time I'll actually update cause I figured out a plot for this story! Woo!

It was really his fault wasn't it? One hundred percent his fault, and he hadn't even apologized yet. Standing up quickly, Edward bolted to the bathroom and burst in, completely disregarding Bella's privacy. She stood on a mat outside the shower, her dripping body draped in a small terry-cloth hotel towel.

Shocked, and slightly embarrassed by the sight of Bella in a towel, Edward regained his composure and commented.

"Bella, I need to talk to you." His guilt and need for apologizing overtook the enjoyment he would have received normally, from seeing his scantily clad ex-girlfriend. Bella, however, was rather outraged with his sudden appearance. He'd never seen her in less than regular clothing, and now she was far from decent and dripping wet.

"Edward! Get out!" she screamed at him, furious at his actions.

"No, Bella this is urgent!" He pleaded; only now scanning her body. Bruises and scarring were easily seen all over her legs, leaving few spaces of her milky white skin unblemished. Dark purple and blue patches scattered her shoulders, arms and chest. A large devastating force was crushing Edwards' heart, his lungs were being compressed as he realised that _he_ was the cause of this. _He_ could have prevented all of her suffering.

"Could you at least wait outside, while I get dressed?" she said with dead eyes, as the original shock had somewhat worn off. Edward nodded silently, realising he had acted with haste and had disregarded Bella's privacy. He backed slowly out of the tiled water-closet and shut the door. Returning to the large, overstuffed armchair in the corner of the room, he sat and waited for her emergence.

His thoughts were clouded with her, and guilt. He didn't listen in to the thoughts of the quickly approaching individual that bolted up the hotel stairs.

Rapid, urgent pounding on the door disturbed the silence that had settled in the room. Slowly, and Edward stood to answer the door, now scanning thought waves to give a clue as to who was at the door. Whoever it was, guarded their internal voices heavily. Defensively, the man opened the door to reveal a figure he had not expected. Bella peeked her head around the corner from the bathroom door to see their visitor. Her eye's widened and she ran out to greet him. Jacob stood stoically in the entrance, his expression only intensifying with worry when Bella had appeared.

"Bella, run." Jacob took a few steps toward her; Edward stuck his arm out to stop him from going any further. The wolf spoke again. "You need to leave here as soon as possible." Bella walked over to him, a questioning look upon her face.

"What? Why, Jake? We haven't seen each other in over three years, and that's all you can say?" she laughed nervously. His random arrival meant that something very bad was going on. Jacob didn't even know what city she lived in, and she doubted her scent was strong enough to follow all the way from forks. This meant that someone told him of her location, to warn her of something.

"Why do I need to leave?" He was hesitant to answer. "Jake… Jacob…" she said, placing her hand on her forearm, nearly flinching at the uncommon warmth emanating from his skin.

"T-The Volturi are coming." He finally said after a huge breath. Edward unwillingly invited him to sit down around the small coffee table, so he could explain.

"How do you know this." The deadly serious voice of Edward cut through the surprised silence.

"The one you call Alice called me. She said she'd tried to call you, but you weren't answering your phone." Edward almost kicked himself, he'd kept his mobile turned off to prevent his family from tracking him on his 'vacation' he hadn't really expected a crisis to happen.

"She'd seen the Volturi coming after Bella. She phoned me to tell me to find you, and tell you before it was too late. Before you became one of … them." Jacob glanced over at Edward with disgust. " They're supposed to be arriving in D.C within the next day. Bella, you need to hide, to go away." Bella simply sat on the couch next to Jacob with a blank stare. Someone might mistake her lack of response with pure fear, however that was the furthest thing from what she was feeling.

The thought of three terrifyingly powerful vampires chasing her down didn't scare her. Quite on the contrary, she was calmed by the fact. Perhaps it was the thought that someone actually wanted her, (if only to use her) or maybe it was the thought that her transformation could go horribly wrong and she'd die. That would be the perfect ending. Killed by the species she loved most. Maybe she'd ask Edward to do it, he was always going on about how her blood was so delicious smelling, that he might not be able to resist. He might simply bite too hard, or not be able to stop himself. That would be even better. A small smile appeared on her face as she continued to think of her demise. It would be the best solution for her fucked up problem called life.

"Bella?" Edward touched her shoulder, bringing her back to reality for the moment. She shuddered from the touch. "Lets go. Jacob went to get the car, he's coming with us."

She whipped her head around to face him.

"I'm not leaving." Resolutely she said. Edward looked at her with confusion and another emotion she couldn't quite place.

"What do you mean you're not leaving? We have to go, they'll be here tomorrow!" Edward said sternly.

"_We _ don't have to do _anything!_ You and Jake can go off gallivanting across the country. See if I care, but I'm not leaving."

"So you _want_ them to find you?" he asked sarcastically, Bella simply nodded, making Edward realise what she meant. "You know that won't solve your problems. If anything it'll make them worse. You'll live for eternity, with yourself, knowing what you are. It-It's hell, Bella." The phone rang and Edward picked it up immediately, and hung up almost as quickly.

"Jacobs got the car. You two are driving up to a campground just outside of the city limits. I'll meet the both of you there with a different vehicle. There, we'll drive to Orlando." Edward said this in a militaristic way, as he packed all of his things into a small bag. When he finished, he motioned for Bella to exit the room. She hardly moved.

"I told you. I'm not going." The young woman huffed, crossing her arms. Edward glared at her.

"You _are_ going. You are going to go with Jacob and _you will be safe_." Her head shook, Edward retorted with picked her up and carrying her down thirteen flights of stairs. He placed her in the passenger seat of his rental car which was parked in front, and looked at Jacob sternly.

"Be careful, I'll see you at eight- thirty. And _don't_ under any circumstances, let her out of you sight." Jacob nodded from the drivers side and put his seatbelt on, checking that Bella's was on too.

Edward then changed his attention to Bella. She looked at him angrily, but at the same time, with no real emotion.

"I'm sorry Bella, I really am…" His eyes were sad. "For everything."

_Done!_

_I hopedya liked it, _

_So please, review! I actually freak out when I get a review and go around screaming that someone actually reviewed (even when it isn't good lol!)_

_Me: OMG GUESS WHAT FAMILIA!_

_Mah family: omfg, what now?_

_Me: I just got a review. WOO!_

_Mah familia: k…_

_Me:….. woot!_

_K bye guys. I'll hopefully post before the end of june! Lol!_


	9. Chapter 9

ALSO

AND NOW… FOR A CRAPPY CHAPTER!

Oh man, this ones actually so bad. I apologize like a million times for the sheer horridness of it.

Anywhoo there was a question about why the volturi were after bella if the whoe italy thing never happened. Well you can look at it two way.

that this story takes place right after new moon.

That I'm simply using the characters and their experiences but not really paying attention to the timeline and specific details of that.

So enjoy people. Bwahah a chapter within a year of the last update, proud?

Btw, I've drawn the entire 'cast' and there should be a link posted in the next chapter to my deviant art where it shall be up. Also,go ahead and flame this one as much as you want, I know its shitty.

Edward watched them drive away. As soon as the car was out of his impeccable sight, he quickly turned back into the hotel, he had to have a shower before he left.

The clerk smiled with ease as Edward came into the lobby , asking him what she could do for him.

"I'd like to check out, and where can I rent a car? A really fast one?"

Fifteen minutes later Edward was driving down the highway, ignoring speed limits and any other posted hazards. Taking turns from memory he arrived at an apartment building he'd only seen once before. Parking, and turning his engine off, he focused his thoughts onto the occupants of the building, searching for a certain person. Soon he found the one he was looking for, seventh floor, apartment 12 A. In seconds, Edward was in front of the door, knocking on the solid wood. The door was pulled open with force; a very angry resident greeted Him.

"You! I'm gonna fuck you up so bad, you'll wish you'd never been born." Edward would have chuckled at the weak threat, however he was busy attempting to control his rage as much as possible. Seeing the man that caused so much damage to Bella made him want to go on a rampage. He let himself into the room, ignoring the loud objections coming from Derek. He ducked down swiftly, avoiding a punch aimed for his head, easily. Edward continued to walk into the apartment looking around.

"Where is Bella's passport?" he asked, moving about the room gathering a few things that looked important, like her purse, and the book she had bought earlier (she had to do _something_ on the long trip ahead of them). Derek lunged at Edward, clearly outraged by the indifference of the man. Edward sidestepped and watched with bitter amusement as Derek came nowhere close to even touching Edward, let alone tackling him.

"Do I honestly have to ask you again?" Edward sighed, and watched the half intoxicated boy glare at him angrily. _Yeah, like I'm gonna tell you where it is. Pft, he'll never find it under the TV._

Edward smirked and headed towards the television. Dereks eyes widened, as he raced over to the cabinet to beat Edward there.

"How the hell--?! Get out of my house!" Derek yelled, attempting to throw another punch. Edward pushed him away and snatched the passport in a blur, standing up he looked around and went through the checklist of things he needed to receive. Derek was stared darkly at Edward until his started laughing.

"You. You're lucky I took Bella off your hands in the first place." Edward looked slightly surprised by the fact that Derek knew about they're history.

"Yeah, I figured it out. You're the one that 'hurt her so badly'" he said with mocking and sarcasm. Edward cringed. "She was and is a piece of shit that isn't worth anything. You should be grateful that I even took her in." Edward started to shake with anger, the built up hatred towards the man was only increasing as Derek continued to talk. His eyes darkened as he turned around to see Derek smirking. In a blur Edward was hitting Derek, his arms barely visible as he continually pulled them back, only to push them forward with incredible force. He punched him without holding back, and his finely tuned ears could hear the crunching of bones with every second or third hit. H paid special attention to Derek's legs and arms, then chest. He would recreate every bruise, broken bone and cut that Bella had gone through. He would send this man to the hospital in tears.

"p-please, n-no more." He heard Derek beg, Edward stopped to look down at the crumpled form.

"This is what you did to Bella, is it not?" Edward spat, "Did she ever beg for mercy? Did she?" Derek nodded painfully.

"And did you ever stop?" Edward roared and kicked him fiercely. A beeping came from his phone, (which he had turned on). Angrily he flipped it open to read a text message.

_We just got to the camp ground. Bella's safe. See you in 10._

_-Jacob_

He snapped it shut and swore at himself for getting carried away.

"If you EVER contact Bella or anyone in connection with her; I swear I'll kill you."

He left the apartment heatedly and drove to a nearby strip mall in rage.

"You're late." Jake said, as he leant against the car coolly. Edward replied with just as much indifference.

"I ran in to some unexpected delays." He looked around, "Where's Bella?" Jacob moved away from the vehicle to reveal Bella sleeping. She looked peaceful, and like she used to. Seeing her like this reminded him heavily of when they were together, he would spend all night just watching her drift off. His heart hurt thinking of it, as a heavy weight of nostalgia hit him.

"Hey, are we going or not?" Jacob said in an annoyed way; he didn't like the way Edward was looking at Bella, it made him feel extremely jealous.

"Right." Edward jogged back to the car he'd driven there and grabbed two bags. Throwing one to Jacob, and keeping the other for himself. "Go change." Jacob opened the bag with curiosity, only to find a set of clothes, a bottle of cologne and a small bottle of shampoo. He looked at Edward with confusion.

"It's to confuse our scent. Go wash your hair in the campground showers; and make sure to load on the cologne. If they track us here, they'll be able to follow your stench for miles. But we can try to mask it as much as possible." Jacob looked offended, thinking rather loudly, _You're the one that stinks bloodsucker!_ Edward knew that the insult thrown in at the end wasn't filled with complete malice, but now a somewhat friendly hatred.

"We'll be doing the same thing." Edward said motioning towards Bella. Jacob stalked off, wondering why he had to go alone and Edward got to go with Bella. _Did that mean they were gonna shower together?! _Jacob flared with jealousy, and sadness; realising that Edward and Bella were much closer than he thought. Edward heard this and laughed without humour. If only he knew.

Knocking softly on the window, Edward began to wake Bella up. She stirred and yawned, stretching her arms as far as the confines of the car would allow. Looking up she scowled when she saw Edward peering at her through the glass. Angrily she opened the door fast, hoping to hit him; his reflexes were impeccable however and he sidestepped the 'attack' easily, pulling her gently out of the vehicle. Bella continued to glare at him, as he led her away.

"Where are we going now?" she asked through her teeth, still angry that they were going anywhere.

"_We_ are going for a shower." Bella's eyes widened, and she tried to squirm away. Edward simply held her arm tighter (not harshly, simply uncomfortably)

"What do you mean, '_we_'?" Edward smiled lightly, not really answering. Bella was about to protest, when they arrived at the women's showers. Edward walked in without knocking. Bella looked outraged by the intrusion and un-gentlemanly behaviour.

"Edward! What if someone was in here? You _are_ a man you know." He sighed, sometimes she really could be a little dim.

"Bella," he tapped his head, "Built in people detector, remember?"

"oh."

He nudged her over to the cleanest looking stall.

"get in." her eyes widened.

"I really don't feel comfortable with this. Why are you even here anyway?" she asked, still wondering about that.

"I am here, because if I wasn't; you probably wouldn't have made an attempt to cover you scent. And then we would be tracked easily. Now get in the shower and hand me your clothes." Bella knew that Edward was right; she wouldn't have hid her smell. With nowhere else to go, she stomped into the shower and closed the curtain. Handing him her clothes seconds later, he handed generic scented shampoo over the curtain rod. When he smelt the shampoo through the air, he was satisfied that she had washed her hair. The water shut off.

"Do you have a towel?" Edward passed her one that he'd bought, through the crack of the curtain. While she dried off, he heard her grumbling about two showers in one day.

"Clothes." She ordered, hand outstretched, peeking out of the stall. He placed a bag around her hand, which contained an outfit. Moments later she spoke again, still hidden in the stall.

"umm, Edward…. Do you happen to have a sweater or something?" Edward was confused slightly, it wasn't cold out; in fact it was quite warm for the evening.

"No, why?" Bella stepped out and looked at Edward meekly.

"It's a bit revealing."

He stared, mouth agape as his eyes trailed up a large scar. It ran from her upper breast off to the side of her collarbone on the right side. There were also many bruises across her entire chest. The shirt was a simple tank top, not too low; however for Bella it was like wearing nothing at all. She felt so… naked, exposing all of her pain. Edward knew he could do nothing about it now, but he wished he could turn back time. He wished he could prevent any of that happening.

"I don't want Jacob to know anything." Bella said looking down to the ground. Edward could understand that, and even though he thought that Jake deserved to know, he would respect Bella's wishes. He pulled off the shirt he was wearing and handed it to her. She looked at the cloth in her hand, before glancing at Edward.

"But then you'll have nothing to wear." Edward shook his head, now _she_ was worrying about _him_?

"Do you _want_ to explain to Jacob?" she shook her head, and pulled the t-shirt over her head. The top swallowed her tiny frame, looking like a small child in hand-me-down clothing. Edward pulled out a small bottle of perfume and started spraying her with it, before grabbing her hand and pulling her gently out of the bathroom.

Back at the vehicles, they met up with Jacob who was staring at the two of them with a questioning glance. Their wardrobe choices were certainly interesting.

"Shall we?" Edward asked motioning to the car he drove to the campground. They all piled into it and pulled out of the park.

" What about the car you rented earlier?" Jacob asked, leaning forward on the back of the passenger seat.

"Someone will tow it eventually."

K guys. Review, tell me whatchoo think, what you reeely want to happen or what you think will happen or just anything you wanna review about.

ALSO! CONGRATS to Deliriously Withdrawn and Angeliss

CAUSE THEY TOTALLY GOT THE FIRST LINE OF THE LAST CHAPTER

'shocked and slightly embarrassed of the sight of larry in a towel, junior regains his composure and comments, 'why do you need a hairbrush you don't have any hair!' Larry was taken aback! The thought had never occurred to him! No hair? What would this mean? What would become of him? What would become of his hairbrush? Larry wonders…'

The hairbrush song- Veggie tales. Only the number one best song of ever.

Listen to it guys, cause its freakin unbelievable. Well I'm off to go sketch link (LoZ) now. Toodles!


	10. Chapter 10

It was 3:13 am and both Bella and Jacob were asleep

It was 3:13 am and both Bella and Jacob were asleep. Somewhere, 5 hours previously Edward had stopped at a gas station purchasing a very tourist inspired t-shirt. The streetlights illuminated the vehicle quickly, every couple seconds, classical music hung lightly in the air of the cabin. Edward drove faster now, seeing as both of the other passengers were asleep, and therefore could not yell at him to slow down. Honestly he drove faster, not to get to his destination sooner, but because he was a little bit miffed.

When the three of them climbed into the car, Edward took the drivers seat and Jacob took the back so that Bella could have shotgun. She sat in the back next to Jacob. This wouldn't have bothered him as much, but he could hear Jacobs's thoughts _very_ clearly. The wolf was going over Bella's 'fine' appearance in his head, and when she hugged him to say she missed him, Jakes heart soared. Edward tried to block those thoughts out.

And now, in the back seat, Bella was leaning against Jacob, his arm around her shoulders. They looked like a real couple. Edward hated it.

So he continued to drive faster, and faster, until the outside world was simply a massive blur of night. The back seat stirred.

Bella blinked slowly, obviously still half asleep; she leaned forward in her seat after untangling her from Jacobs warm embrace. Her petite hands tapped Edward's shoulder.

"Yeah?" he said softly, not wanting to wake up Jake.

"How much further until the next town?" she asked sleepily, yawning midway through the sentence.

"About ten miles, why?" She rested her head on the shoulder of his seat.

"I need a human moment." She was still mostly in dreamland, but the way she said something that reminded him of their past, made him smile. It was like four years ago.

"We'll be there in about five minutes." He turned his head to look at her and was surprised at how close she was. If he were an inch closer, it would hardly be a stretch to kiss her. Her eyes were closed and she was simply resting. Leaned forward and head on the chair in front of her; she fell asleep again with the one who loved her pressing his lips against her forehead.

Four minutes later, Edward pulled into the parking lot of a 24hour convenience store in a small town off the highway. He took off his seatbelt and went around to Bella's side, opening the door and nudging her.

"Bella, wake up. We're here." She swatted away his arm lazily.

"Dad, I don't want to go." Edward looked at her amusedly. Oh humans and their dreams. He stroked her hair, enjoying having her presence without the fury and hatred seen in her eyes.

"Not another therapist." She said sadly, "They can't fix me." Edward pulled his hand away from her, as if she burned him. A weight came crashing down on him. She had to see therapists? He had ruined her that much? His knees gave out as he realized the _extent_ of damage he'd caused her. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair he moaned, dry sobbing.

He'd hurt the one he loved most. Sure he loved his family, but not nearly as much as Bella. He would die for her. Edward felt for the woman so much, that even when he was with her his heart ached with an overflow of feeling. And now, the only thing he'd ever cared for more than anything in his entire hundred some years of existence, was in pain, and it was his fault. He really was a monster, but this time it wasn't because of his species.

Bella woke up slowly to see Edward on the ground in front of her opened car door, rocking and shaking his head.

"Edward?" she asked groggily, wondering what he was doing down there. He looked up at her with pain. She became worried. "W-what is it, what happened? Are you okay?" he just shook his head again.

"Bella…" he croaked, he didn't deserve to know such an amazing woman. It's hard to find angels in hell. He finally found one, and he pulled her wings off. She stumbled out of the car and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I hurt you. I deeply and truly hurt you." He said keeping direct eye contact. He was serious and she could tell there was no lying, or changing the subject. Her sleepiness wore off slowly.

"Yes." Her voice was small and cracked. She finally admitted it; and to him of all people. His head hung down.

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted you to be happy, like a normal human." He held her gaze again. " I thought, that maybe if I wasn't there you would be safer. You would meet someone else, get married, have children, and grow old…" Bella was frowning now, but he continued.

"I didn't mean any of the things I said, about not wanting you. I love you so much, Bella. It literally hurts. I only left you to give you a chance, at a real life. I knew I didn't deserve you." Edward stopped talking and watched for Bella's reaction. Slowly the frown grew. And she replied in a very unexpected way.

"So now you're mister Noble. Didn't I get a choice? Didn't I get to have a say in that. What if I didn't want to meet someone else? What if I only wanted you? Well it doesn't matter, because apparently everyone else gets to make my decisions for me, I don't get to have an opinion. I didn't want you to leave. Ever. But you did; twice. So obviously I'm not good enough to keep you around for long. So don't try making up excuses for why you left. I already told you that I don't mind that you said those things when you left, but _don't_ pretend that they didn't happen, or that you didn't mean them." She huffed, angry and hurt. She stood up suddenly, leaving the vampire on the pavement and stormed into the store.

Edward picked himself up, wondering how he could get her to believe him. He needed to let her know that she was everything to him. Sitting in the driver's seat he waited for her to return.

Few minutes later she climbed into the back seat and slammed the door, causing Edward to flinch, and Jacob to jolt, then resume sleeping. Bella shook the bottle she had in her hand and popped two pills out of it. She had obviously purchased it in the store. Swallowing them along with a large gulp of water, she glared at Edward before settling back into Jacob's chest and arms. Edward recognised the tablets as a common sleeping pill. She was out within minutes, and Edward drove at ridiculous speeds.

The normal thirteen and a half hour drive, took eight.

I'll post again soon hopefully. I'm not really sure though. This whole '9 ½ ' hours of school thing, with the whole 4 hours of homework plan, are not really that groovy. I'm definitely not digging it.

I get my new macbook pro on Tuesday! Woo!

Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

They arrived at a train station in Orlando just as the sun was rising, the soft morning light reflecting off buildings casting a picturesque view of the city. Edward drove slowly into the parking lot, letting the crisp air flow through the slightly open windows. Finally finding a spot, he pulled in and woke both Bella and Jake.

"Are we there yet?" Jake asked groggily, blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah, we just got here. Lets go, our train leaves in forty minutes." Jake looked around, his glance landing on Bella who was curled up against him. His arms were around her, and the feeling of her body against his sent chills up his spine. Edward glared, and coughed, grabbing Jacob's attention. A deep blush traveled across Jake's cheeks, as he remembered that his thoughts weren't private.

Bella continued to sleep; obviously from the tablets she had taken earlier. As the dark skinned man untangled himself from her arms, and the seatbelt, he clambered out of the truck and stretched. Edward then reached in and pulled Bella out, slinging her over his back. His fast and graceful movements prevented her from waking up. He reasoned that giving her a few more moments of peace would be a small step in the right direction of her forgiveness. They left the car in the lot and walked into the station.

"Trip 543 to Seattle leaving in 20 minutes. All passengers please make their way to platform 8b." Jacob groaned when Edward indicated that they were catching this train.

"Seattle? Then why'd we come here?!" He asked, clearly thinking that Edward was just wasting their time. _Tch. Just because you've got all the time in the world doesn't mean we do too._ Edward sent a glare to the man walking next to him.

"It's so they can't track us as easily." He said with annoyance. They reached the terminal, and boarded the train; settling in for a long ride.

"Mhmmm…. What time is it?" Bella mumbled as she woke up to sunlight in her eyes. Edward looked over at her and smiled, trying to be pleasant for her.

"Quarter after eleven. You missed breakfast. I saved you some." Bella sat up from the couch like bench she was lying on. Edward being old fashioned, he had chosen a location based on the train that was taking them there. This train happened to be one with cabins, separate small rooms for each group of passengers. Vintage in appearance, built like the ones from way back when; on the inside at least-- On the outside, it was aerodynamic, and built for efficiency. Clearly made for a weeklong trip with the kids; a peaceful journey through the countryside.

"I'm not hungry." She said coldly, clearly not accepting anything from Edward. She looked past him, and out through the window, watching the blurred landscape pass by.  
"Bella, you should eat something. You don't look well." It was true, she was pale and thin, and the pronounced circles under her eyes were dark purple. She was honestly exhausted, mainly from keeping up with Edward, making sure she didn't let him in. She knew she'd break soon however, there were just too many emotions to hold back.

"Yeah, and how am I supposed to look?" she asked tiredly, ignoring submission, while trying to avoid confrontation.

"Not like that." He looked at her with sad eyes, his gaze traveling down her neck and to her chest where bruises were visible. He just wanted to make it better. Slowly, he moved and sat next to her; with graceful and calculated movements he lifted his hands and placed them on her neck. She shivered at the sudden cold contact, but didn't pull away. He slid his fingers down over the yellowish green blemishes and brought his head nearer to her body. Bella was frozen, completely still and unmoving. Even slower, if possible, he pressed his lips to the bruises that lined her collarbone, taking his time to purposefully kiss each one.

"Edward…" She whispered, her eyes closed, enjoying the contact. He moved his up her neck, near her ear.

"Bella, I'd do anything to stop you hurting. Just please, give me one more chance." He said quietly so that even she strained to hear him. He pulled away and looked at her, his forehead resting against hers.

"Anything?" Bella's lips parted softly as she said it, her eyes still closed. Being this close to Edward, she didn't want it to end. Those emotional barriers she'd put in place slowly came crumbling down, shattering so it couldn't be rebuilt.

"Anything." Edward confirmed, bringing his hand up and running his thumb down her jaw. He hoped to god that he wasn't backing into a trap; soon she'd say that she wanted him to stop bothering her. To go away.

"Don't leave me." She lifted her chin up, causing their lips to meet. The kiss was innocent enough, soft and barely touching. But it made them both aware of the amount of healing that would have to be done. He pulled away and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'll spend eternity with you if you'll let me." Bella let a tear slip as she sighed.

"I'm so tired." She whispered against his chest, pools of moisture accumulating on his shirt.

"I know Bella, and for now just rest." She nodded, and although there was still a lot wrong, Edward couldn't help but smile. She wanted him, and he wanted her. And at that moment, it didn't matter that the Volturi were after them, or that there was immense psychological damage needing to be fixed.

He had his arms around her, and she was leaning on him. And that's all that Edward focused on. They were together.

Gosh! Wow, I haven't updated in what? A bajillion years? Holy cats!

Anyway, here ya go, another chapter,although its real short and bad. But what eves.

I'm not living in England and it's a change haha, so I've been busy =. That's my excuse for not updating and I'm sticking to it :P

Read and review please? Thanks a bunch

And I just want to thank everyone for everything. For reading, and reviewing, its great to know that people actually like what I produce 

You guys are great, and I really appreciate the feedback.

xxxxxx


	12. Chapter 12

Jacob stormed into the compartment quickly, not bothering to be quiet. Slamming the door open in his rush, Bella woke up, and Edward looked at the Wolf with startled eyes.

"Explain." Edward said after reading Jacob's rather loud thoughts, he looked as though he'd seen a cockroach in his cereal, or something equally as troublesome, slightly larger, and much more pale.

"Shit." Bella was shocked, Edward had never sworn in front of her; in fact she was sure he'd never sworn…ever.

"What? What happened?" She asked, sleepiness escaping her entirely.

"Vampires; at least I think—I smelt it briefly but I'm sure it was them. They seemed to be running next to the train. " Jacob said, disgust lining his voice; they were all silent for a moment, thinking how they could deal with this.

The train started slowing down, families in neighbouring cabins moved around, gathering their items.

Convenient timing for a scheduled stop.

The plan of action, the only one that meant Bella escaping alive, would be to meet with the vampires, and pray to god they weren't the Volturi. Edward knew that they were, but he could still hope that his mind reading abilities were lying to him just this once.

And so, they walked off the train onto the platform and came face to face with three very beautiful people.

The first was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, with brown hair parted just at the side, and near translucent skin. He wore what looked like expensive trousers and a leather jacket matching all which gave the aura of opulence. The sunglasses that he had on shielded the world from what were sure to be ruby red eyes.

He stood in the middle.

To his left was a woman, quite young in comparison to the man, at around seventeen or eighteen. She had cropped blonde hair, with a fringe that flipped across her forehead as if the wind had placed each strand into place, she was about a head shorter than the leader, which was not short by any means, perhaps a few inches below Edward. She was slender, with curves and posture that suggested seduction as well as nonchalance. To be honest, she looked as if she'd walked off a vogue photo shoot.

To the Man's right, there was another man. He was clearly the one who had been running, as he'd been dressed in comfortable jeans and a track jacket, with muddy trainers to match. His messed up hair and childlike grin made him seem the type who enjoyed such a chase. He had dark brown, almost black hair, which was splayed across his face in a bed-head style. The light brown of his skin was astonishing against his vivid red eyes, as he was the only one not wearing sunglasses. He seemed to be twenty-something, and was clearly the 'youngest' of the three. It could be seen in his stance, carefree and confident.

Edward immediately got a bad vibe from him.

--

"Hello. My name is Dærian, this is Chloe," he motioned to his left. " And this is Travis." He motioned to his right. Dærian stepped forward, offering his hand; no one made a move to shake it. Coughing slightly and retreating he looked at them.

"I expect you know why we're here?" Edward, Bella and Jacob nodded their heads. Dærian clapped his hands and flashed brilliantly white teeth. "Excellent, then shall we get going? We've a rather long trip ahead of us." He turned to leave, expecting them to follow when he stopped.

"Oh, this is where the wolf parts." Bella looked at Jacob sadly, she knew he couldn't come, and this might be the last time she'd see him.

"No way, I'm not leaving her alone with you lot." Jacob said with revolt.

"You either leave now, or we kill you later." Chloe said dispassionately.

"I'll take later." He was tense, tall and threatening. Bella pulled him away, motioning to the other vampires to give them a moment.

"Jacob…Jake." She held his forearm gently. "I'll miss you."

"Naw, Bella I'm coming with you- there's no way you're going with them alone. You'll—" he choked on his words.

"No. You're going home, I'm not letting you get more involved in this than you have to. Please Jake, for me." He stood still for a few moments before looking over at Edward, then back to her. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Edward would do everything in his power to protect Bella, or so he hoped. Finally he nodded and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you Jacob Black, You're my best friend and always will be." He let go of her and walked away.

"_You let anything happen to her, and I swear to god, I'll kill you." _ Jacob thought to Edward, once more, before disappearing into the crowd.

"Now then. We've got a plane waiting for us, and it would be terribly rude to be late." They followed Dærian through the train station and into a waiting car.

Bella sat in the back seat with Edward on one side, and Travis on the other; Chloe was driving, and Dærian sat in the front.

AN holy cannoli!

Sorry about the long waits between updates. I guess I'm just not into the whole twilight/writing thing anymore, as I'm focusing more on drawing.

But yeah, I WILL finish this story I promise. It will just take a while.  
so I apologize for the monstrously long wait and this miniscule chapter, it's shortness is hella short. So my bad.

But it's better than nothing right?  
gosh, thank you to all my reviewers- you're feedback honestly means the world to me. It completely makes my day. So THANK YOU reviewers! And also to all those other readers!  
you guys give me inspiration and the drive to keep writing.



3


	13. THE RETURN OF Bruises in Safety

Holy cats it's been ages.  
Well howdy folks- sorry about the ridiculously long wait.  
I've re-read the story and I think I can improve greatly on it. So as of sometime this week/next week I'm going to start re writing it. Adding more scenes- deleting some scenes, making things flow, and changing dialogue. I've actually got a plan for this and I'm going to really try and finish writing this.

So for all of you who have stuck with me thus far, a big shout out to you. Thanks for all the alert listers, and all of the reviews. I appreciate it muchly.

Sorry about the lack of new chapter for this, but I promise I'll re-upload the first chapter next week- and hopefully there will be a new or edited chapter up every 2-3 weeks. Once I get into the swing of things- you can look forward to an update every 2 weeks on a certain day. (like a web comic, just not anything like one….)

If you'd like anything to be put in the story, or you think it was missing something- or if you have a good idea for direction leave a review and I'll take your suggestion into serious consideration (with credit as well of course)  
so to all of you, have a lovely Halloween- and I hope you have a lovely rest of your week.

Love,  
xCholericX


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